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Do you know a CPCC graduate who is making a tremendous difference in the community? Nominations are currently being sought for the 2015 “Richard H. Hagemeyer Educational Advancement Award.” This award recognizes a former CPCC student who has significantly benefited from experiences at CPCC and whose efforts have helped the community. The award is named after Dr. Richard H. Hagemeyer, CPCC president for 23 years, who led the College from a trade school with 1,200 students to the state’s largest community college.

Nominations are being sought for individuals who have

· demonstrated community involvement and social responsibility,

· acquired scholastic and learning skills that have led to continued personal and educational growth,

The College will recognize this year’s winner at CPCC’s commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 14, 2015, and a one-year scholarship will be granted to a CPCC student in an area of study reflective of the winner’s background. Nomination forms are available on the CPCC website.

Grant Baldwin is a freelance photojournalist based out of Charlotte, NC. He has an Associates Degree in General Education (Conc. in Photography) from Central Piedmont Community College and has been an active photographer refining his work for more than a decade. His focus is Documentary and Journalistic work, as he excels at perceiving the complexities of a fluid situation allowing him to use observation, past experience and intuition to anticipate and capture the core moments of an event. All while striving towards the goal of conveying the full meaning and significance of each moment with personal neutrality.

Thursday, April 16th at 11 a.m. AU Building Room 101. Central Campus

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Also featured:

The students of the Curious, CPCC’s Advertising + Graphic Design student group, present The Wandering Box of Creative Wondering, a pop-up display that challenges participants to be more curious about the world they live in.

The Opinion Pages | OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

I Owe It All to Community College

Tom Hanks on His Two Years at Chabot College

By TOM HANKS JAN. 14, 2015

IN 1974, I graduated from Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., an underachieving student with lousy SAT scores. Allowed to send my results to three colleges, I chose M.I.T. and Villanova, knowing such fine schools would never accept a student like me but hoping they’d toss some car stickers my way for taking a shot. I couldn’t afford tuition for college anyway. I sent my final set of stats to Chabot, a community college in nearby Hayward, Calif., which, because it accepted everyone and was free, would be my alma mater.

The grant will help the Charlotte-based community college purchase high-tech equipment needed to upgrade its lab facilities on campus. That will give students access to the most up-to-date equipment used by employers in the region.

“Placing state-of-the-art technology in our classrooms is another way to attract and compete for new business in North Carolina, and it provides a platform for existing business to retool and reinvest in our employees,” Tim Gause, Duke Energy’s district manager for the Charlotte area, says in a news release.

Annual projections are that at least 100 students enrolled in CPCC’s electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and mechatronics engineering technology programs will use that equipment. Those programs provide a fundamental knowledge of basic technical skills for use in design, application, installation, manufacturing operation and maintenance of computer-based systems.

“The new advanced equipment will provide students access to the most advanced technology and ensure graduates have the most up-to-date technical skills to meet the needs of the region’s work force for highly skilled technicians,” says Chris Paynter, CPCC’s dean of STEM — or Science, Technology, Engineering and Math — programs.

This grant is part of a $6.7 million investment in North Carolina’s Community Colleges’ by Duke Energy.

Individual community colleges can apply for funds through the Foundation For The Carolinas or the NC Community Foundation. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of representatives from Duke Energy, N.C. Community College System and N.C. Department of Commerce.

Jennifer Thomas covers retail, health care and education for the Charlotte Business Journal.

HUNTERSVILLE – Central Piedmont Community College and engine-maker Cummins Inc. announced a deal Monday to develop a technician training program at CPCC’s Merancas Campus in Huntersville. Plans include creating and equipping a diesel and heavy equipment lab at the campus.

Indiana-based Cummins makes diesel and natural-gas powered engines, and related technologies. The company has 48,000 employees worldwide and plans to bring apprentices to Huntersville from across North America and the Caribbean.

It’s the latest apprenticeship program of its kind to find a home at CPCC. “CPCC has a national reputation for apprenticeship programs – Siemens, Blum, Ameritech, Daetwyler, etc., and the college already has a diesel and heavy equipment program. So, CPCC is a good fit for Cummins’ needs,” spokesman Jeff Lowrance said. “We think the program will be a great addition to our current Merancas Campus offerings.

Starting in January 2015, groups of 15 Cummins apprentices will take classes at CPCC in five-week blocks as part of a four-year program. The apprentices will be full-time Cummins employees and will spend the equivalent of two years at CPCC, where they will learn how to build and maintain the company’s diesel engines. Students also will take math, English, communication and workplace psychology courses.

Cummins will pay for tuition, fees, books, tools and other expenses. Students who complete the program will receive an associate’s degree in Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology and be certified by Cummins in engine and/or power generation.

“We’re looking for career-oriented men and women with a desire to work with Cummins technology,” David Taylor, Cummins’ apprenticeship program leader, said in an announcement Monday. “There are plenty of opportunities to make good money, gain experience and move up in a growing company.”

It wasn’t clear how much Cummins would invest at CPCC in Huntersville. Lowrance said CPCC would open the program using its current equipment and facilities. Cummins is expected to donate equipment within the next few months, but the value has not been announced.

The program is registered with the N.C Department of Commerce and certified by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Program applicants need a high school diploma or GED with corresponding grade-point average requirements or be an honorably discharged military veteran.

“CPCC is proud and excited to partner with Cummins on their innovative Technician Apprentice Program,” Tamara Williams, dean of the Merancas Campus, said in the announcement. “The program will offer each student a wonderful opportunity and provide the foundation for a great career, while establishing a talent pipeline for Cummins. We look forward to welcoming the first group of students in January.”

Jim Rogers, a CPCC alumnus and a long-time business and civic leader in Charlotte, has been honored with The Order of the Long Leaf Pine for his lifetime of service to North Carolina. The award, conferred by Gov. Pat McCrory, was presented at the annual meeting of the Charlotte Region Commercial Board of REALTORS on Dec. 4 at Quail Hollow Country Club.

In his nominating letter, Charles Campbell, Managing Partner of Brackett Flagship Properties in Charlotte, stated that Rogers “embodies the qualities of service, character and integrity that are expected of recipients of this award.”

Rogers, 72, has contributed to the vibrancy of Charlotte in a number of ways the past 45 years. He was a founding partner of Cauble and Co. of Carolina in 1982, a commercial mortgage banking and real estate investment sales brokerage firm that financed a number of major N.C. and S.C. projects. In 2005, he was a co-founder of Flagship Capital Partners (merged with The Brackett Co. in 2010 to form Brackett Flagship Properties) which develops, acquires, manages and leases medical office buildings across the Southeast. He also helped form in 1994 the Charlotte Region Commercial Board of REALTORS, the predominant commercial real estate voice in the Charlotte region and served as CRCBR’s first President.

While still active at Brackett Flagship, he has pulled back from day-to-day business activity. Over the years, he has given an extraordinary amount of time and energy to a wide range of causes benefiting business, education and the arts. Among the organizations he has served in various leadership roles: Leadership Charlotte, YMCA, Arts & Science Council, WTVI (channel 42), Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, UNCC Athletic Foundation, Central Piedmont Community College, Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region and the Lynwood Foundation. He currently chairs the Administrative Board at Myers Park United Methodist Church.

Rogers received his B.S. and MBA degrees from East Tennessee State University where he was named Alumnus of the Year, received ETSU’s Award of Honor and was installed in the Hall of Fame of the College of Business and Technology. Rogers also graduated from CPCC.

Created in 1965 to honor those who helped shape the life of North Carolina for good, The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is the highest civilian honor for a NC citizen. It has gone to a wide range of Tar Heels including William Friday, Billy Graham and Bob Timberlake.

CNN recently visited CPCC’s Central Campus to learn more about the Apprenticeship 2000 program, an initiative that equips CPCC students with today’s manufacturing skills, helps them graduate with no debt and guarantees them a job after graduation.

Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) and members of the Allen Tate family and real estate company broke ground today for a new Central Campus clock tower—the Allen Tate Tower. More than 50 people braved cold temperatures in the 30s and a stiff breeze to witness the special occasion.

Looking to take its place among the prominent college and university landmarks across the Carolinas, the Allen Tate Tower will serve as a focal point on CPCC’s Central Campus. The Allen Tate Tower will stand approximately 48 feet tall, with a base of about 144 square feet. The tower will be constructed of brick and cast stone and feature a four-sided clock face approximately six feet in diameter.

The tower will be the result of a generous contribution from H. Allen Tate Jr., founder and CEO of the Allen Tate Co., the Charlotte-based real estate firm. Weather permitting, construction of the tower will be completed in early 2015, sometime during CPCC’s spring semester. Little Diversified Architectural Consulting is providing the design work on the project.

“The Allen Tate Tower will be a wonderful addition to CPCC’s Central Campus,” said Dr. Tony Zeiss, CPCC president. “In discussions with Allen, he conveyed a feeling that our Central Campus, while lovely, lacked a signature landmark, the kind that students and alumni will grow to love and identify with. And we could not agree more.

“Allen Tate has been a long time, generous benefactor and friend of the college. This tower will serve as a college landmark and a monument to his abiding support,” Zeiss added.

The clock tower will be located on Elizabeth Avenue, between the Terrell Building and the Elizabeth Classroom Building. The prominent site will give students, employees and passing motorists a clear view of the tower.ate has been a long time, generous benefactor and friend of the college. This tower will serve as a college landmark and a monument to his abiding support,” Zeiss added.

“CPCC is an outstanding institution that prepares students for employment and lifelong education. This tower will serve as a great symbol of achievement and reminder of the hard work and commitment the students have made to achieve their goals,” said H. Allen Tate Jr.